Luke 2 (The New Living Translation)

The Birth of Jesus
1 At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a
census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire.
2 (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor
of Syria.)
3 All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this
census.
4 And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to
go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there
from the village of Nazareth in Galilee.
5 He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously
pregnant.
6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born.
7 She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly
in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no
lodging available for them.

The Shepherds and Angels
8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby,
guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord
appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory
surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured
them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will
bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the
Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!
12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby
wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the
armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those
with whom God is pleased.”
15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to
each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has
happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And
there was the baby, lying in the manger.
17 After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had
happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.
18 All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished,
19 but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about
them often.
20 The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising
God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had
told them.